30 WAITAKI HERALD, SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 CLASSIFIED Sharne hails foundation’s work F By EMMA BAILEY emma.bailey@fairfaxmedia.co.nz or 27 years Waimate woman Sharne McSkimming did not hear a sound. In 2011, thanks to a cochlear implant, she journeyed into a new hearing world. She was born profoundly deaf and it was not until she was 8 months that her parents first suspected that she had a hearing problem. ‘‘I was 13 months old when I was finally diagnosed as profoundly deaf. I received my first set of hearing aids a month later and I have always worn my two hearing aids right up until I was 27 years old then got the cochlear implant. I am30 years old now. ‘‘Imagine a world of silence, a world where you could see, smell and touch the world around you but not hear it. A place where you can only imagine the sound of rain falling, birds singing, bees humming and people laughing. ‘‘This is how my life was before the amazing world of technology changed it for me. ‘‘For 27 years I lived in two worlds, the deaf world and the hearing world, but I never thought in my wildest dreams what it would be like to actually hear sound like everybody else.’’ On July 6, 2011, she had an operation to get the cochlear implant. I remember feeling scared, nervous but also excited wondering what it would be like to hear many different sounds.’’ On August 22, six weeks after the operation, the sound processor was activated and she was switched on to the world of sounds. ‘‘I did panic a bit when I first started hearing sounds. It was really loud like metal ‘space junk’ clanging together and my audiologist was talking to me over the noise so it was very confusing and overwhelming. I was a bit scared that the space junk sound would be there forever but those sounds faded as I got used to the processor. ‘‘My brain had to be trained to process different sounds and to work out what the sounds were and where they were coming from. ‘‘I love listening to music, hearing my nieces and nephews talking to me, rain falling on the roof, and I especially love hearing laughter.’’ She has always communicated in spoken English as well as Sign Language. ‘‘Although I can now hear more sounds and others speaking to me PROPERTY FOR SALE with the use of my sound processor, I continue to use Sign Language as well, as it is part of who I am.’’ At night she goes back to silence. ‘‘I take my processor off at night to go to sleep, I amback there again and can hear absolutely nothing. I amreally happy about that as I amback in my ‘deaf world’.’’ Long term, she hopes to get into fulltime employment. ‘‘I would like to get fulltime employment, I do some seasonal work but that is only part-time. It’s difficult trying to get work here [in Waimate] as it is a small town and the current labour market makes it difficult. ‘‘I would like to travel overseas one day and also have a family.’’ Last Friday, she was proudly wearing her most colourful shirt to support the Loud Shirt Day. The Loud Shirt Foundation supports the Southern Cochlear Implant programme and raises funds for cochlear implants and hearing aids to help deaf children. ‘‘I supported Loud Shirt Day because I know from my own experiences that support and fundraising are key factors to enable the deaf to have equal opportunities as everyone else. I New world: Sharne McSkimming in her loud shirt for Loud Shirt Day last Friday. She has been the beneficiary of the organisations, having had a cochlear implant. PHOTO: SUPPLIED. believe it is important for everyone to have the opportunity of sound in their world, and to have access to resources and education to support them and their families throughout their journey.’’ Sharne is fundraising for the cause at http://goo.gl/RIyfBU 5773032AA PUBLIC NOTICES Waitaki Presbyterian Parish Eveline Church Hall Saturday October 4 9.30am to 11.30am Homemade cakes, jams, plants, jigsaws, garden manure, craft, handmade cards, books, secondhand goods, roofing iron, morning tea FAIR Waitaki Herald CLASSIFIED PHONE 0800 100 129 PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES OAMARU ICE CREAM COMPANY Bookings now being taken for Birthdays, Socials, BBqs. You name it and I will be thereu name it and I will be ther Email: brimac@hotmail.co.nz No Booking Fees Based in Oamaru. Waitaki Herald CLASSIFIED PHONE 0800 100 129 Waitaki Herald CLASSIFIED PHONE 0800 100 129 Proposal to Close Road to Ordinary Vehicular Traffi c Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Transport (Vehicular Traffic Road Closure) Regulations 1965, Section 342 and Schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 1974, for the purpose of the NZ Silver Fern Rally 2014, the following road will be closed to ordinary vehicular traffic for the period indicated hereunder: Event: Applicant: Date: NZ Silver Fern Rally 2014 Marathon Rally Car Club Inc Wednesday 12 November 2014 Road to be closed: Dansey’s Pass Road Period of closure: 1.05pm to 4.35pm During the period of closure, provisions will be made for ordinary vehicular traffic and emergency vehicles which would otherwise use the road listed above. Any person objecting to the proposal is called upon to lodge notice of their objection and grounds thereof in writing before the 14th Council, 20 Thames Street, Private Bag 50058, Oamaru. of October 2014 at the office of the TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Transport (Vehicular Traffic Road Closure) Regulations 1965, Section 342 and Schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 1974, for the purpose of tree felling, the following roads will be closed to ordinary vehicular traffic for the period indicated hereunder: Activity: Contractor: Date: Tree felling Laurie Forestry – Whitestone Landscaping 29 September to 6 October 2014 Road to be closed: paper road behind/east of Kurow Shops Period of closure: 7.30am to 5.00pm During the period of closure provisions will be made for ordinary vehicular traffic and emergency vehicles which would otherwise use the roads listed above. It will be an offence under the above regulations for any person otherwise than under authority of an authorised permit to use the road for ordinary vehicular traffic during the period of the closure. 5772957AA 6307095AA 6307063AA 6312447AA 5773024AA